


I Will Follow Wherever You Go

by Arenoptara



Series: Mikaani Vigilantes [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, Violence, alternate universe - fantasy medieval, game of thrones inspired
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-01-23 18:29:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1575269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arenoptara/pseuds/Arenoptara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikasa Ackerman serves as a vigilante throughout the kingdom along with her best friend and lover Annie Leonhart. She finally finds the man who killed her half-brother Eren Jaeger after years and exacts her revenge for not only his death, but the countless deaths, rapes, and tortures Kitts Verman has caused.</p>
            </blockquote>





	I Will Follow Wherever You Go

There was nothing like the valley after a good rainstorm. The mountains were a vivid shade of green, and everything retained that damp earth smell. Mist still clung to the air, sprinkling Mikasa's skin. She sat atop her bey stallion Jaeger atop a rocky hill overlooking the rain-soaked valley, a damp rag in her hand as she washed the blood off her face and hands. Then she ran it along the length of her scimitars. With the tenderness of a mother with her newborn, Mikasa slipped them into the crossed sheathes on her back.

Behind her about a mile burned the campsite and its former inhabitants. They had struck when the commander Verman was gone to have some fun in the forest away from the prying eyes of his men. No doubt he had returned by now, drawn back by the smoke and the screams of his men. And now he was all alone, ripe for the picking in a valley he didn't know half as well as Mikasa did.

Mikasa pulled the canteen from her hip, popped the cork, and let the water gush into her mouth sloppily. A lot of it splashed against her face, or completely missed, going down to her bronze chest-plate. When she had drunk her fill, she put the cork back in and slipped the canteen back on her belt. She was just wiping her mouth with the back of her hand when she heard someone calling out to her.

Jaeger turned with the slightest touch of her knees. Down a couple hundred yards was Verman, running towards her with a hand up. He called to her again desperately. His woman wasn't with him, which meant he had abandoned her in the woods. That was another reason to despise the man: his disrespect for women. Mikasa wanted to remind him of just how many women and girls he had killed and raped and tortured in his life, among other things. If the King wasn't going to take action, then she would. And Verman had fallen right into her trap.

With a different pressure this time, she willed Jaeger forward down the hill so Verman wouldn't have to run as far. The poor man was tired and frightened enough as it was. She could ease his troubles, even it would only last a short time.

“I need a ride to the nearest town,” Verman panted when he got near enough. In his haste, he had forgotten to stick his cock back in his pants. It flopped around now. Mikasa eyed with it squinted eyes. “Wild men have attacked and killed my men. The King's guard must be noticed so we can hunt them down and make them bow to the law!”

Mikasa casually took out some string and tied her long hair into a ponytail. She brought it forward over her chest-plate. “My horse is not fond of strangers. I doubt he would allow you on his back, even with my permission.”

Verman glanced at Jaeger. “I am an expert horseman, My Lady. Horses bend to my will.”

“Do they?” Mikasa asked with the tiniest of smiles.

He noticed the scimitars upon her back. “You are from the South, My Lady?” he asked, licking his lips slowly. His favorite kind. He'd killed more of Mikasa's people than any other. It was one reason she detested him so vehemently.

“Yes,” she said.

“Even in the South, you must have heard of me. My name is Kitts Verman. I am the commander of a very important guild of the capital. My men and I were riding North to Stohess to trade with Lord Smith. There are many vital supplies they need. Wherever these criminals are who have destroyed my camp must pay for the food they have taken from the children's mouths,” Verman said.

Mikasa's lip curled and she turned Jaeger so he was no longer looking at Verman head-on. “Since when have you worried of the welfare of children, My _Lord_?”

Verman's eyes widened a little.

“You're right. In the South we have heard of you. We know of the man you truly are. Do you know what we call you?” she asked. “The Scarlet Coward. You have nothing but blood on your hands, Kitts Verman. The King may turn a blind eye to your actions because of the favors you do for him, but I will not.” She glanced behind Verman at an approaching rider on a chestnut mare.

That's when he realized. “You're Mikasa Ackerman. The bastard of Lord Ackerman. The vigilante. Where's your bitch Leonhart?” He glanced behind him at the smoke billowing in the distance, and his hand flew to his sword hilt. That was also the moment he realized his cock was flying free for all to see. Hastily he stuffed it back in his pants and then took out his sword. “The tales of your deeds are grossly exaggerated I'm sure. A woman such as yourself could never have done all they say you have done.”

“And yet a woman attacked your camp, killed all forty of your men, let your horses and slaves free, and burned it all to the ground,” Mikasa said. “Or tell me, was it wild men? Were your men overtaken by barbarians with clubs? I hope you didn't overpay them for their services.”

Verman bared his teeth. “You dare speak that way to me, bitch? I trained in sword fighting since I was a little boy, before you were even conceived. I was leading men into battle when you were five. I could cut you from head to toe before you even had a chance to raise your sword.” He smiled, his tongue slowly licking over his lips. “But I'm not an unreasonable man. Before I do that, I will please you like you have never been pleased.”

“Then by all means, show me,” Mikasa said.

He took one step before he heard the sound of the approaching rider—riders. It seemed Annie had found the woman Verman had so cruelly left alone in the wild and brought her along for a ride. Annie looked at Mikasa, her usual free lock of hair blowing in the slight breeze, and a smile so small only Mikasa could ever see it. She was wearing the huge grey wolf fur coat Verman's lieutenant had been wearing. It suited her well, made her icy blue eyes pop.

Down on the ground, Verman's hand visibly shook—in rage or fear or maybe both. Either suited Mikasa just fine.

Mikasa smiled. “You're right, Verman. A woman like me could never have done all those things you said. It was women like _us_. Lady Leonhart had something to pick up before she joined us. I think you know her?”

The woman behind Annie swallowed but didn't look away from Verman as he glared at her in disgust.

“What's your name?” Mikasa asked.

“Historia,” the woman said.

“You're safe now, My Lady,” Annie said, putting a gloved hand over Historia's. “We'll take you somewhere you never dreamed you'd see. And they will treat you like the queen you are.”

“A _queen_?” Verman sneered. “She'll never be anything but a low-lying filthy whore. You know how many men have touched her? She's ruined.” He spit on the ground and then turned back to face Mikasa.

Mikasa slid off her horse and took a few steps towards him. He wanted to back up, she could see it in his eyes, but that would only bring him closer to Annie who was known to be much nastier than Mikasa when it came to violent things. Must less forgiving. “And yet she is still standing, raising her chin proudly. Which is more than I can say for you, Verman.” She pulled her scimitars out.

Behind him, Annie whispered for Historia to stay on the horse, and then dismounted, pulling out her own two-handed longsword she'd made herself. She came within five feet of Verman, sword at the ready, expression as stoic as ever.

Verman swallowed noisily. “I was going to do you the honor of being with me before you died to make your passing easier, but now I'm just going to kill you. I'm going to cut off your heads, and send them to families in golden boxes.”

“It'll be difficult to do that when you're dead,” Mikasa said, crossing her scimitars and pointing them at him. “You've killed and raped for far too long, My _Lord_. I think it's time you joined your compatriots in Hell.”

They attacked at the same time. First Verman blocked Mikasa's blades and then he ducked to avoid Annie's. He might have been faster than them with his light armor, but all those years of swordplay had been wasted on him. Not to mention he had a weak-ass sword. It took one well-aimed blow from Annie to knock him to his knees. Mikasa kicked his sword of out his hand and then grabbed him by the hair and forced his head back.

“No, no, please! I will give you anything! I have gold. Lots of it. I have the King's ear,” Verman pleaded, half choking from the harsh angle and the blood seeping down his throat. “You can have anything you want.”

Mikasa came in closer. “Anything?”

He tried to nod his head the best he could.

“Can you bring back all the lives you have destroyed?” she asked in a low voice. “Every single one?”

“That's impossible! You can't ask that!” he choked.

Mikasa let him go and took a few steps back. “Then I'll have to settle for you.”

Annie's knee came into his side over and over until Verman could no longer keep himself up. She took him and set him back up again so her knuckles could smash against his ear and send him back down to the ground again. Most of the time, Mikasa would look away when Annie did this, but this time, after waiting so many years to finally catch and kill Verman, there was nothing she wanted to see more. At least Historia had the grace to look away.

By the end of it, Verman was bleeding from his nose, mouth and ears, moaning as he held his arms close to his torso, his legs curled up to try and ease the pain. For the last time, Annie set him back upright and held him there by his shoulders. Mikasa came over and crossed her scimitars again. “For the crimes you have committed against the land and its people, I sentence to do death, Kitts Verman. May you live a long and painful death under the Demon's claws.” With one quick move, his scream was cut short, and Verman flopped to the ground, dead.

Mikasa took out the rag and wiped her blades clean again. She glanced at Annie while she did so. The blonde was staring down at Verman with an uncertain expression on her face. Then she bent over, picked her sword up, and slipped it into back into the sheathe on her waist. Without looking at Mikasa, she went back to her horse Titan, rubbed her nose and then got back on. Immediately, Historia's arms came around her waist to hold on.

“Mikasa,” Annie said after a few moments. “We have to leave. They'll have seen the smoke soon. If they catch us, we'll hang.”

Mikasa put her scimitars away and mounted Jaeger.

They were heading to the South, back to Mikasa's home. No one would celebrate the death of Verman after thirty years of terrible crimes but them. And there was no proof that Mikasa and Annie had killed them all. Even if the King got wind of it, as she was sure he would, not even he would be able to do anything about it. All of their deeds, all of the criminals Mikasa and Annie had rid the world of, were only theirs by word of mouth in the kingdom. No one had actually seen them do it—except for Historia, but something told Mikasa she wouldn't say a word.

It was a five day's ride to her home. They stopped in a river town thirty miles away for the night. Annie went out with Historia to buy her some more clothes and make her look the lady she really was. The three of them sat in the inn's tavern with full bowls of meaty soup, warm rolls, and flagons of ale filled right to the very brim. Historia looked at the food as if she'd never seen so much in one sitting before.

“Have seconds if you want,” Mikasa said.

Historia's eyes grew wide and she dug in.

From across the table, Annie and Mikasa smiled at each other.

“Where are you from, Historia?” Mikasa asked.

They waited for Historia to swallow. “I was born in the slums of the capital, My Lady. My mother was a whore as well.”

“No one's a whore,” Annie muttered.

“But I--”

“No buts,” Annie said firmly. “We're all ladies. All of us deserve the same.” She tore off a piece of her roll and dipped it in the soup, letting it saturate the bread fully before popping it into her mouth.

“Have you ever been to the South?” Mikasa asked.

Historia shook her head. “I never left the capital until a month ago when Verman came, My Lady.”

“Call us by our names, Historia. We're equals. I am Mikasa and she is Annie,” Mikasa said.

“Yes, My La—Mikasa,” Historia said, and her eyes lit up when she said it.

“Did he touch you?” Annie whispered.

“Twice,” Historia said in a small voice. “It would have been a third but then you attacked his camp. And then Annie found me . . .” She gritted her teeth as her eyes started watering. “How am I supposed to repay you?”

“There's nothing to repay,” Mikasa said. “We'll bring you to my home and you can do what you will, but if you want to stay, there will be a place for you. I promise.”

Historia nodded silently and continued eating her soup.

That night as Annie was setting her wolf fur coat over a chair, Mikasa came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her. Her lips came down on the back of Annie's neck and traveled over to her shoulder. Annie twisted herself around to face Mikasa. She put her hands up when Mikasa tried to kiss her lips. “You finally killed him.”

“ _We_ did,” Mikasa said, opting for kissing Annie's fingers since they were there.

“How do you feel about it?” Annie asked.

Mikasa pulled her head back. “I can't bring back the ones he killed, but no one else will die because of him. We made sure of that.” Her eyebrows furrowed and she leaned her forehead against Annie's. “I've avenged Eren. He can sleep in peace now. So can I.”

“Can you promise me we'll take a break? A long break?” Annie whispered. Her breath smelled faintly of the stew. If it had been anyone else it would have been revolting, but Mikasa wanted to just breathe it in forever. Breathe her in forever. And she wanted so much to be able to say yes and promise this, but Mikasa belonged out here, killing criminals, cleaning the world up one scumbag at a time. She'd never rest easy sitting in one place for so long. Such a clean place.

The silence was the answer Annie needed. “Hmm,” she said and turned back around. She started unlatching her armor and carefully setting it on the table. When she got to her shirt, Mikasa put her hands over hers and helped her move it up and over her head. Mikasa took it then, tossing it onto the table, and then setting her cold hands on Annie's burning waist. “It's wrong,” Annie said.

But Mikasa shook her head. “No. No, I'll never believe that.”

“You may not, but they do,” the blonde sighed. “It's probably better having it your way. They'll never let us marry. Never let us live like they do. We'll have to always stay the way we are now.”

“You've never had such a defeatist attitude, Annie,” Mikasa said sharply, turning away and walking over to the bed to start getting out of her own armor. Her fingers fumbled with the knots for a few seconds, her fingertips turning red, but she finally got one side and started to work on the other side.

“You're wrong,” Annie said with an edge to her voice. “I am happy wherever I am as long as I'm with you. But we'll never be able to be more than this. That's a fact neither of us can change. There are some things swords cannot fight.”

The other knots were either too difficult or Mikasa couldn't focus properly. She battled to untie them, but her fingers only got more sore. Suddenly Annie's hand appeared and pushed Mikasa's away. Easily she untied the knots and then removed the chest-plate from Mikasa's torso. She set it next to her own on the table, and then gazed down at them. There was a blood smear on Mikasa's. Annie licked a thumb and then wiped the blood away.

Mikasa stared down at her red fingers. Annie noticed then too and came over, lifting her hand and kissing each finger tenderly. As she did so, Mikasa ran a thumb over her lips. “Your lips are chapped.”

“They usually are,” Annie said with a shrug.

“We should go to the apothecary and get some ointment,” Mikasa suggested.

Annie dropped her hand and then rounded over to her side of the bed. “I don't need any.” She slipped off her pants, throwing them across the room onto the table in a heap. She stood there, candlelight flickering across her naked body, an arm crossing her torso and holding her other arm. Even after all this time, she still got embarrassed when she was naked. Even after all the times Mikasa has seen her naked body, had kissed it. It was one of the things she loved about Annie.

“We'll get some tomorrow,” Mikasa decided.

The blonde just shook her head. She untied her hair from its messy bun and let the hair fall down around her face. Before she got in bed she traveled over to the wash bin, filled with water moments before they had come to their room, and began scrubbing at her dirty skin. Of course, no matter how hard she scrubbed or for how long, there'd always be dirt stuck under her fingernails. She'd accepted it long ago, even though occasionally she still tried extra long to get it all out. Mikasa had told her if she cut her nails shorter it would be easier, but Annie liked having longer nails, unlike the darker-haired woman.

While she washed, Mikasa took off the rest of her armor and then her shirt and pants. She pulled her hair out of the ponytail as well, tossing the string carelessly somewhere on the floor. She sat on the bed cross-legged, back straight. “If you want to settle down somewhere, get away from all this, why don't you leave? Why do you let me get away with being so selfish?”

Annie stopped scrubbing for a brief second at Mikasa's words. Then she continued rubbing the wash brush over her forearm. “I told you, as long as I'm with you, I'm happy.”

“But not as happy as you could be.”

“You don't know anything about that,” Annie said sharply. She finished her arms, and doused them with water before starting on her feet.

Mikasa moved across the bed and then tiptoed over to Annie. She knelt down on the floor by the wash basin, took the brush from Annie with one hand, and Annie's foot with her other. Gently she began scrubbing the filth from her feet, kissing every spot once she cleaned it. She did the other foot too, and then set them down on the ground.

“You deserve to be selfish,” Annie said. “When Eren was alive, you were too dependent on his survival, his happiness. You almost never thought about yourself.”

“He was my brother,” Mikasa whispered, dropping the brush in the bin with a splash.

Annie put a finger under Mikasa's chin and lifted it. “You'll change your mind one day. I'm patient.”

“You're so sure of that?”

Annie slid off the chair and knelt down by Mikasa. “Yes.” Her hands cupped the brunette's cheeks. She lifted herself up in the air a little as she brought her lips onto Mikasa's. It was a short kiss, but none the less passionate. “My Lady, you freed me from the cruel underground, from a life with no hope. I will follow you wherever you go. _Wherever_ you go.” 

It was the first time she called Mikasa My Lady since they'd first met, when Mikasa asked her to call her by her name, and only her name. There was to be no division of class and blood between them. 

This time Mikasa moved to kiss her. Their arms wound around each other's bodies. They breathed with each other. Their mouths and tongues moved together like they had been created by the gods to be with each other, as if there were no other mouths that could fit so perfectly with theirs. The world was blind; they could not see it. The gods made people to love each other, it was people who gave love rules. But there in that room, no one could stop them. No one could say their love was unnatural or evil.

They moved up to their feet. Mikasa lifted Annie up and set her down on the bed. She hovered over her, hair falling down. Annie reached up and put it behind her ear.

They made slow passionate love that night, and no part of their bodies remained untouched, whether by hands or by lips. And with every minute, the candle burned dimmer, pitching them into an eventual darkness, but not at all cold.

**Author's Note:**

> Gonna write at least one more, maybe with Historia joining them and making it a trio of vigilantes or something.
> 
> arenoptara.tumblr.com


End file.
